The present invention relates to a digital copier or similar image processing apparatus and more particularly to an image processing apparatus capable of writing a plurality of image data stored in image storing means thereof in a removable storing medium.
Today, a digital copier of the type including a semiconductor memory, large-capacity hard disk or similar image storing means for storing document image data is available. This type of digital copier is capable of producing a plurality of copiers of a document by scanning the document only once or electronically sorting prints in order of page. Also, the copier is capable of storing image data output from a scanner or image data representative of text codes arranged in a bit map in a large-capacity hard disk, so that the image data can be output in the future.
Further, the image data stored in the hard disk can be transferred to a storing medium removably mounted to the copier for a backup or a long-time storage purpose. More specifically, the digital copier is provided with an external image storing device and an internal image storing device. The external image storing device writes or reads image data in or out of the removable storing medium. The internal image storing device stores image data read out of documents or image data transferred from the external image storing device. The removable storing medium may be implemented as a CD-R (CD Readable), CD-RW (CD-ReWritable), large capacity DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), data tape or similar mass storing medium.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 63-146555, for example, discloses an image processing apparatus constructed to store information and an operation procedure program necessary for copying in a removable storing medium together with image data. This apparatus is directed toward efficient manual operation.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1-256269 teaches an image processing apparatus capable of storing not only image data but also information representative of the date of storage of the image data in a removable storing medium. This apparatus allows the image data to be rapidly read out when they are again printed on paper sheets.
It is a common practice with a conventional image processing apparatus including the internal image storing device, removable storing medium or similar image storing means to store image data representative of one or more pages, e.g., a single document in the storing means as a single image file. Attribute information including a particular file name is attached to each image file for management. Further, image file list data listing the file-by-file attribute information is produced. The image file list data is displayed to allow the operator of the apparatus to select a desired image file. The image file designated is read out of the image storing means on a file basis. The image data of the image file read out are displayed or printed on a paper sheet, as desired. Information indicative of correspondence between the image file names or file numbers and the locations thereof in the image storing means is prepared as one of management information. When the operator inputs a read request designating a desired document name, the apparatus accesses the location of the image storing means corresponding to an image file name identical with the document name and reads out an image file designated by the image file name.
It has been customary to update the image file list data and then write the updated information in the removable storing medium every time a single image file is written to the storing medium. This, however, reduces the life of, e.g., a CD-RW and increases the processing time.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus capable of reducing the rewrite processing of a removable storing medium in the event of updating of image file list data and thereby extending the life of the storing medium while reducing the processing time.
An image processing apparatus of the present invention includes an image storing device for storing image data representative of a single unit image or a plurality of unit images. A writing device writes the image data in a removable storing medium. A list data storing device stores list data listing the image data stored in either one of the image storing device and storing medium. A selecting device selects, among the image data stored in the image storing device, image data to be written to the storing medium. A controller updates, when the image data selected by the selecting device are written to the storing medium, the list data stored in the list data storing device every time the writing device writes one image data, and causes, after all the image information selected have been written to the storing medium, the list data to be written to the storing medium.